U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says NATO membership for Ukraine is unrealistic. In sweeping remarks Wednesday, Hegseth suggests that the way forward for Ukraine is for the country to abandon hope

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the war between Ukraine and Russia “must end,” that Kyiv joining NATO is unrealistic and that the U.S. will no longer prioritize European and Ukrainian security as the Trump administration shifts its attention to securing the U.

Hegseth held talks with U.K. Defence Secretary John Healey, before a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Hegseth's predecessor, former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin,